Smoking in Hertfordshire declines as e-cigarette popularity grows

Data from Public Health England show the number of adults in Hertfordshire who smoke has dropped, with only 13.5% of residents smoking in 2016, a decline of 2% on the previous year.

The decrease in smoking rates coincides with an increase in popularity of e-cigarettes throughout the country.

This National No Smoking Day (14 March), Hertfordshire County Council is promoting e-cigarettes as a tool to help people quit smoking or reduce smoking if they are not yet ready to quit entirely.

Hertfordshire County Council’s innovative policy encourages the use of e-cigarettes and dispels some of the misconceptions associated with e-cigarettes and vaping. The policy reinforces the use of e-cigarettes as a very effective way to quit smoking as they carry significantly lower risks compared to the harm of tobacco.

The policy was produced by working with local and national networks, and it was shared with other organisations to provide them with guidance in developing e-cigarette policies of their own.

Hertfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Richard Roberts, said:

“I am delighted that so many Hertfordshire residents have chosen to give up smoking cigarettes. There has been another dramatic reduction this year, congratulations to everyone who has quit or moved on to far less harmful alternatives such as vaping, patches or gum.”

One in five of us wrongly think e-cigarettes are equally or more harmful than smoking; nearly half of us don’t realise that e-cigarettes are actually much less harmful than smoking as they don’t contain tobacco or the harmful products of combustion.

Tobacco is the leading cause of death and disability in Hertfordshire causing 1,500 deaths every year.

For information about how local Stop Smoking Services in Hertfordshire can help you give up smoking, including advice about e-cigarettes, please text SMOKEFREE to 80818, call 0800 389 3 998 or visit www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/stopsmoking

You can also sign up to receive email updates about your health and wellbeing at: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/updateme.